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It appears that the moose eventually realized that the warden was trying to help him.

I think we as humans give animals too much credit for higher level thinking.
The moose was in shock. Did you see the heavy breathing? The beast was exhausted. I don't believe it was a matter of the moose understanding that the GW was helping but rather an instinctive matter,built-in primitive brain stem features if you will...like "don't move when you're in shock and 'trapped'.

I think we as humans give animals too much credit for higher level thinking.
The moose was in shock. Did you see the heavy breathing? The beast was exhausted. I don't believe it was a matter of the moose understanding that the GW was helping but rather an instinctive matter,built-in primitive brain stem features if you will...like "don't move when you're in shock and 'trapped'.

Replace the word animal for republican in the first sentence and we would be in agreement.

But seriously, I think that heavy breathing was fear at being trapped and being so close to a person. I'm around animals a lot and it sounded like fear to me.
If he were exhausted he would have been panting and lethargic.
Also, he was moving all the time. It sounded like there was plenty of fight left in him.
I think he just gave in after a while when he wasn't attacked by the primate.
Note he took off right away when he was freed.
Likely that moose is no dumber than a horse or deer and both can become used to people.

We will never know what they are thinking and I know it is very easy to overestimate their thought processes.
For all we know, the moose stopped thinking of the person as a threat and thought no further - perhaps he didn't think - like ok , if I don't kick or trample him he's my ticket out of here...

Either way, to get over his fear like that was quite a feat.
Or maybe he was just that tired...

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quite a few people die in collisions with moose every year. Shears the top off the car.

I've heard that. You hit them and it cuts them off at the legs and the body flies through the windshield taking your head and, like you say, the top of the car with it. I've never lived in moose country. Came close to hitting a deer once but that's it.